


white heather wishes

by squishylisa



Series: the language of flowers [1]
Category: Noragami
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Drabble, Drabble Collection, Flowers, Language of Flowers, Light Angst, Major Character, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-23 21:52:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11998665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squishylisa/pseuds/squishylisa
Summary: The god of calamity, although he chooses not to admit it, has a thing for flowers.





	white heather wishes

**Author's Note:**

> White heather: a flower meaning protection and good luck, a flower that implies wishes will come true. Legend states that a white heather flower will never grow where blood has been shed.

Dried blood stuck beneath Yato’s fingernails. The stench of carnage and fallen livestock clung to the air like glue, threatening to choke even the god of calamity. _Hiiro,_ his blade of water, a weapon of strength, made him feel weak as he held it in his now red hands. The entire scene before him is red, the sky stretching as dawn arrives is stained with it, the ground bears the blood of those he had massacred.  
“Nicely done,” Hiiro softly hisses with her usual tone of delight, a nerve-wracking, constant eerie calm.

“Father will be proud.” She continues, waiting for some type of response from the god.

 Yato ignores her, sighing a prolonged breath and releasing her to her original form by uttering her name.

Yato knows, once again, his father has brought him to destruction. Is this all he will be, a god that takes instead of giving? A god whose existence is a curse to man, rather than a blessing? As Yato ponders these thoughts that have been with him since his creation, his eyes catch something. A splash of white in this sea of unheading red.

A white heather flower; symbolizing protection and the indication that wishes will come true. Yato wasn’t the type of person who had much sentimentality, or naivety, and certainly not the person to care about flowers, but this plant seemed to beckon him. This was a beacon of light in the life of his that was all but light. A life of darkness.

Yato glanced to Hiiro. She was busy inspecting an old jewelry box strewn in the wreckage. The box was wooden, paint chipping at the sides. It emitted some music as Hiiro opened it, bouncing along in the silence of the morning. This music dancing along in quiet was eerie, making the god uneasy.

Yato picked up the flower, slightly dotted with blood, but still holding its white hue. Yato slid it into the sleeve of his kimono, patting it into place.

Since he had heard the elders chatter about this flower once, saying that it would never grow where blood has been shed, it must have been up for sale.

Yato closed his eyes, ignoring the absurdity of a god praying to a flower, and silently pleaded.

_Please, let my life be something other than this. Let me become something other than this._

~

The florist bent behind her wooden stand, digging her wrinkled hands through the pots adjourning her stand. Her eyes held wisdom along with age, lines crinkling beneath them. Sunlight filtered through the trees, shining onto the farmer’s market taking place in the city square. People bustled past her small wooden counter, ogling at the fresh fruit and vegetables around them in vibrance. A particular man, wearing an odd combination of a simple tracksuit and a scarf of light cloth had been staring at a pot of white heathers for almost ten minutes. His blue eyes, like blue flames, had been burning intensely into the flowers, as if he was waiting for something.

“Young man, you’ve been eying these white heather flowers for quite some time. Do you want them?”

 Yato jumped, glancing around him. He hadn’t expected that anyone had seen him. He rearranged his scarf and shuffled closer to the woman.

 “Well, why not then.” Yato chuckled, half to himself.

 Yato rummaged around in his pockets, searching for the coins he had gained from his last job. It was a small fee, since he had only been scrubbing bathtubs, but it was still an earning.

The woman held her hand above her, shaking her head.

 “No, you take them.” The woman insisted, taking the pot of white heathers from their place on the counter.

The woman heaved the pot into Yato’s hands, leaving the god blinking, speechless. Kindness was something in short supply to this lonely god, drifting about the city.

 “Thank you very much.” Yato dipped his head and stared at the woman a moment longer before shuffling away.

 “White heathers are meant to bring good luck, you know.” She called after him, a voice thick with age and wisdom.

 “And for me, luck is greatly needed. Thank you again, miss.” Yato replied, giving a small wave before disappearing in the crowd.

 “You looked like you needed them.” She added, too soft for the god to hear.

Yato slipped through the spaces in the crowd, still fazed from the experience. He hardly spoke to anyone besides his clients. The old lady seemed to read his thoughts. Still holding the pot of white heathers in his callused hands, he made his way to one of Tenjin’s shrines, a place he commonly slept. Since it was nearing fall, the nights were getting brisk. The sun was still high in the sky, but beginning to dip. The city bustled with people rushing to buy things needed for the upcoming year.

Yato sighed with relief as he reached Tenjin’s shrine. No one was around. Crowds unnerved him a bit, and the bench he accommodated was comfy and absorbed the sun’s weakening rays perfectly. Yato plopped onto the bench, placing the pot beside him.

He glanced at the flowers, white beaming in the sun.

“Well, I haven’t become what I wanted to quite yet, but I’ll get there eventually.” He hummed as he gave a slight pat to the petals of the plant.

“I’m getting there.”

  


**Author's Note:**

> I'm thinking about making a series about this? It'll just be a drabble collection basically, but after not writing for quite some time this could help me get back into the swing of things :) I hope you liked it!


End file.
